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Facts,  timber  ion 

UNIVERSITY  Of  llUNOiS 
URBANA 

ILLINOIS, 


A BRIEF  SUMMARY  OF 


ITS  ADVANTAGES 

Fruit  Growing  Section 


PRESENTED  BY  THE  HORTICULTURAL  BOARD  OF  CONTROL 
ILLINOIS  FRUIT  EXHIBIT 
WORLD  S COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION 
1893 


. . EXECUTIVE  BOARD  . 

OF  THE 

Illinois  State  Horticultural  Society 

FOR  THE  YEAR  1893. 


President. 

HENRY  AUGUSTINE Normal,  McLean  Co. 

Secretary. 

HENRY  M.  DUNLAP Savoy,  Champaign  Co. 

Members. 

ARTHUR  BRYANT Princeton,  Bureau  Co. 

O.  W.  BARNARD Manteno,  Kankakee  Co. 

T.  E.  GOODRICH ’ Cobden,  Union  Co. 

DANIEL  BERRY Carmi,  White  Co. 

JAMES  T.  JOHNSON Warsaw,  Hancock  Co 


Annual  meeting  for  1893,  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  December  12,  13, 
I4.  Correspondence  with  the  Secretary  or  any  member  of  the  Executive 
Board  will  be  promptly  answered 


ILLINOIS  FRUIT  EXHIBIT. 


§ 

o 


'■0 


6pT  exhibit  of  Illinois  fruit  at  the  World’s  Columbian  Exposition 
in  Horticultural  Hall  is  made  under  direction  of  the  Board  of 
j'U  Control  of  the  State  Horticultural  Society,  the  expense  being  paid 

from  an  appropriation  made  by  the  Legislature,  which  became  avail- 
able  on  the  first  of  May. 

Previous  to  that  date  the  State  Horticultural  Society  had  decided 
to  make  an  exhibit  of  fruits,  and  to  that  end  had,  during  the  previous 
fad,  secured  about  a hundred  barrels  of  the  leading  varieties  of  apples 
placing  them  in  cold  storage  with  which  to  make  a beginning 

On  the  first  of  May  the  Illinois  tables  were  covered  with  a very 
. creditable  display  of  apples,  which  has  been  renewed  from  time  to  time 
V as  re<5uired>  and  extended  as  the  crop  of  1893  developed  and  ripened. 

Although  the  bloom  on  Illinois  orchards  gave  promise  of  an 
, abl,ndant  y‘eld  duri"g  April  and  May,  a few  weeks  sufficed  to  show  that 
t e crop  of  apples  was  to  be  almost  a complete  failure  throughout  the 
State,  and  though  here  and  there  a few  exceptions  may  exist,  the  failure 
v is  the  most  disastrous  ever  known.  Pears,  cherries  and  plums  met  the 

/;  San;:  fate>  bUt  a sma11  Cr°P  of  Inches,  a few  pears,  and  a moderate 
Fsyidd  of  grapes  remain  to  cheer  the  grower. 

v During  the  season  of  small  fruits  the  tables  bore  ample  evidences 
, 0 the  superiority  of  Illinois  soil  for  their  production,  and  there  was  also 
• a creditable  showing  of  cherries  and  plums. 

The  king  of  fruit,  however,  is  the  apple,  and  in  spite  of  the  general 
failure  no  other  State  has  as  yet  been  able  to  excel  or  even  equal  the 
exhibit  which  the  Illinois  tables  daily  present  to  the  visitor.  Shipments 

3 

I I 30077 


4 


Illinois  Fruit  Exhibit 


are  received  every  day  fresh  from  the  orchards  and  vineyards  to  make 
good  the  loss  by  decay. 

VVe  believe  that  every  citizen  of  the  State  feels  a pride  in  the 
success  which  so  far  has  characterized  this  exhibit,  and  we  can  confi- 
dently assert  that  no  efforts  will  be  spared  to  keep  it  up  to  the  proper 
standard  so  far  as  the  almost  total  failure  of  the  fruit  crop  will  permit. 

The  lithograph  covers  of  this  little  work  give  a very  correct  idea  of 
the  appearance  of  the  tables  of  the  exhibit  as’they  appeared  on  the  first 
day  of  August. 


APPLE  ORCHARD  IN  BUREAU  COUNTY. 


FRUIT  GROWING  IN  ILLINOIS. 


The  Illinois  State  Horticultural  Society,  which  has  in  charge  the  care  and 
development  of  the  Illinois  exhibit  of  fruit  at  the  World’s  Columbian  Exposition 
in  Chicago,  having  a natural  and  well  developed  pride  in  the  fertile  soil,  the  con- 
genial climate,  and  the  great  variety  of  the  horticultural  and  vegetable  pro- 
ductions, as  well  as  the  capacity  and  capability  of  a further  development  to  an 
unlimited  extent,  offers  this  little  pamphlet  to  the  inquirer,  not  as  an  encyclo- 
pedia that  contains  all  that  is  known  about  fruit  culture,  or  as  an  advertisement 
to  boom  the  cheap  lands  of  some  particular  locality,  but  to  give  information  in 
general  about  the  fruit  growing  ability  of  the  State,  its  markets  and  advantages 
to  anyone  seeking  a home  within  its  borders. 

The  three  attributes  of  success  in  fruit  growing  from  a practical  standpoint 
are  good  and  accessible  markets,  a productive  soil,  and  a climate  suited  to  the 
particular  fruits  to  be  produced.  To  be  sure,  the  amateur  who  seeks  only  to 
occupy  his  time  with  a pleasant  or  agreeable  occupation  has  no  need  of  a 
market,  but  in  general  those  who  plant  trees  do  so  for  the  profit  there  is  either  to 
themselves  or  to  their  children,  and  to  this  class  we  address  ourselves. 

God  first  planted  a garden  and  placed  man  in  it  to  dress  it  and  keep  it,  with 
permission  to  eat  of  everything  therein  contained,  except  of  the  fruit  of  one  tree 
which  common  consent,  for  some  unexplained  reason,  supposes  to  have  been  a 
seedling  apple  tree.  The  variety  is,  however,  immaterial,  but  we  learn  from  the 
oldest  and  best  possible  authority  that  Adam  was  a gardener  and  fruit  grower, 
and  that  the  other  branches  of  agriculture  were  practiced  at  a later  date. 

Considering  the  fertility  of  our  soil,  the  varied  production  of  vegetables, 
fruits,  flowers  and  grains  it  has  been  thought  by  some  that  the  Garden  of  Eden 
was  located  somewhere  within  our  State  borders,  but  since  reading  some  of  the 
florid  descriptions  of  other  States  and  their  claims  to  the  location  of  the  first 
garden,  we  concede  that  the  probabilities  are  against  us,  provided  the  aforesaid 
claims  are  all  true  in  fact.  In  this  sketch  we  propose,  however,  to  leave  out  the 
fanciful  and  devote  ourselves  to  the  practical,  leaving  to  those  who  have  lands 
to  sell  or  towns  to  boom  the  pleasure  as  well  as  the  profit  (?)  of  depicting  an 
Arcadia  whose  realities  come  far  short  of  filling  the  pictured  ideal. 

We  admit  at  the  outset  that  there  are  difficulties  and  disappointments  sur- 
rounding the  growing  of  fruit,  that  an  occasional  failure,  like  that  of  the  present 
year,  may  intervene  to  rob  the  horticulturist  of  anticipated  profits,  but  who  shall 
say  that  the  rest  given  the  trees  will  not  in  the  end  be  beneficial  to  them,  not 
only  in  prolonging  their  lives,  but  also  act  as  a destroyer  of  noxious  insects  which 
damage  the  quality  and  depreciate  the  value  of  the  apple,  cherry  and  pear  in 
occasional  years  of  abundant  yields? 


7 


8 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


To  all  who  are  seeking  for  a new  location  we  can  confidently  say  that  they 
will  receive  a warm  welcome  from  the  horticulturists  of  Illinois  and  will  be 
given  all  the  information  they  ask,  for  as  a rule  selfishness  is  not  a fault  that 
grows  among  the  men  that  engage  in  the  development  of  that  art  which  “doth 
lend  aid  to  nature.”  The  numerous  Horticultural  societies  which  abound  afford 
ample  opportunities  for  exchanging  experiences  and  information,  and  individ- 
uals are  always  willing  to  let  others  profit  by  their  experience. 

EDUCATIONAL  FACILITIES. 

The  fruit  grower  is  always  an  intelligent  man.  The  very  nature- of  his  busi- 
ness tends  to  increase  his  desire  for  learning,  and  causes  him  to  study  sciences 
which  to  the  average  mortal  are  a sealed  book.  This  being  the  case,  he  will  not 
naturally  take  his  famil}7  to  the  backwoods,  or  to  a state  where  education  is 
neglected,  even  though  the  State  may  boast'of  an  enormous  school  fund,  which, 
in  some  unexplained  manner,  gets  distributed  in  the  towns,  leaving  the  country 
people  to  provide  schools  the  best  they  can,  or  giving  them  such  a small  share 
that  practically  it  does  but  little  good. 

Illinois  is  noted  for  its  free  schools  in  Avhich  every  child  from  six  to  twenty- 
one  years  may  be  taught  without  money  and  without  price.  It  has  over  ten 
thousand  school  houses  within  its  borders,  as  well  as  an  abundance  of  high 
schools,  seminaries,  colleges  and  universities.  Two  Normal  universities  supply 
teachers,  and  facilities  for  acquiring  higher  education  are  abundant.  No  one 
need  to  send  his  sons  or  daughters  outside  the  borders  of  the  State  to  secure  the 
most  polished  or  scientific  education  unless  he  choose  to  do  so. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

offers  to  all  the  young  men  and  women  of  the  State  full  opportunity  and  every 
facility  to  study  those  sciences  which  relate  to  Agriculture  and  Horticulture, 
and  has  among  its  professors  some  of  the  most  eminent  scientists  living.  The 
institution  has  ample  means  and  grounds  for  demonstrating  in  a thoroughly 
practical  manner  .what  is  taught  in  its  classrooms.  Added  to  the  present 
extensive  collection  of  objects  of  natural  history  will  be  the  handsome  exhibit 
in  the  Illinois  State  building,  which  at  the  close  of  the  World’s  Exposition  will 
be  removed  to  the  university  at  Champaign. 

Following  closely  the  school  question  comes  the  one  of 

RELIGIOUS  INSTRUCTION, 

and  the  seeker  will  find,  on  examination,  that  we  are  unusually  well  supplied 
in  that  regard,  and  that,  travel  where  he  will,  he  is  seldom  out  of  sight  of  a 
church  spire  or  the  sound  of  the  church  bell.  In  the  matter  of  church  building 
our  people  have  been  remarkably  liberal,  as  the  hundreds  of  churches  scattered 
through  the  farming  communities  abundantly  attest. 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois . 

OUR  POPULATION 


9 


outside  the  large  cities  is  largely  composed  of  native  born,  though  here  and  there 
may  be  found  an  occasional  settlement  of  the  better  class  of  Germans  or  Swedes 
engaged  in  agriculture,  than  whom  it  would  be  hard  to  find  better  farmers  or 
more  quiet  and  industrious  citizens. 

The  tendency  of  population  both  here  and  in  Europe  is  toward  the  large 
cities.  Our  young  men  leave  the  farm  to  engage  in  trade  or  manufacturing, 
turning  the  producer  into  the  consumer.  Many  deplore  this,  but  what  would  be 
the  result  to  the  farmer  and  fruit  grower  if  the  stream  was  reversed  and  the 
denizens  of  the  city  bought  farms  and  became  producers?  The  increase  of  popu- 
lation in  the  cities,  either  large  or  small,  creates  an  increased  demand  for  farm 
products,  and  it  is  our  object  to  increase  the  production  so  as  to  cover  all 
demands  as  well  as  to  cheapen  the  methods  of  production,  of  marketing  and  of 
preserving,  so  as  to  return  an  increased  profit  to  the  grower.  It  is  not  so  much 
the  high  prices  that  make  fruit  growing  profitable  as  the  steady  demand  at 
reasonable  prices,  with  every  expenditure  of  production  reduced  to  the  minimum. 

AN  IDEAL  STATE. 

If  it  were  possible  to  develop  an  ideal  state,  it  would  be  one  in  which  the 
producer  and  the  consumer  would  be  brought  into  immediate  relations  with  each 
other  and  thereby  dispense  with  the  services  of  all  middlemen.  Such  a state 
will,  however,  never  exist  except  in  the  brain  of  some  would-be  reformer  or 
romance  writer,  for  the  very  obvious  reason  that  things  are  as  they  are.  In 
practical  life  the  more  diversified  the  industries  of  a country  the  more  profit  to 
its  people.  On  the  one  hand  we  see  this  exemplified  in  the  great  grain  growing 
States  of  the  West,  where  a failure  of  the  grain  crops  entails  a long  list  of  calam- 
ities; on  the  other  hand  States  in  which  there  is  a more  diversified  industry  may 
suffer  from  a total  loss  of  some  crop  and  yet  have  an  abundance  of  other  wares 
to  sell  to  prevent  any  great  distress. 

It  is  also  better  exemplified  in  the  two  countries  of  Great  Britain  and  France. 
With  a superficial  area  of  about  the  same  as  the  States  of  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Iowa  and  Missouri  they  contain  a population  of  some  seventy-five  millions  of 
people,  or  ten  millions  g: eater  than  that  «f  the  whole  United  States.  In  England 
nature  has  deposited  .huge  beds  of  coal  and  ore  in  close  proximity,  while  every 
village  almost  contains  a manufactory.  Nature  was  not  over  kind  to  England 
in  giving  it  a salubrious  climate  or  a fertile  soil,  yet  necessity  has  made  the  most 
of  both. 

France  is  much  more  favorably  situated  as  regards  soil  and  climate,  and 
more  nearly  resembles  that  of  our  State  in  its  northern  provinces,  though  the 
south  competes  with  Florida  or  California.  France  also  has  mines  of  ore  and 
coal,  and  to  its  general  agriculture  adds  viniculture  and  silk  growing,  in  neither 
of  which  we  can  be  expected  to  excel  until  times  and  the  demand,  as  well  as  the 
wages  paid  labor,  change. 


10 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


These  two  nations  have  been  unusually  prosperous,  brought  about  almost 
entirely  by  the  fact  that  they  consume  all  the  products  of  their  own  lands 
besides  purchasing  great  quantities  from  foreigners,  paying  for  the  same  in  man- 
ufactured goods.  For  the  purpose  of  showing  the  comparison,  we  have  been  to 
the  pains  to  call  attention  to  the  foregoing  facts,  for  the  very  reason  that  Illinois 
is  so  situated  that  she  must  ere  long  take  the  front  rank  among  all  the  States  as 
a producer  of 

MANUFACTURED  GOODS, 

and  when  that  time  comes  the  value  of  agricultural  products,  of  stock,  of  the 
dairy,  of  her  mines  and  fruit  farms  will  equal  in  combined  value,  if  not  exceed, 
those  of  any  of  the  other  States.  We  are  not  wild  enthusiasts  that  we  make 
such  an  assertion,  but  we  know  thoroughly  the  capacity  and  capabilities  of  our 
great  and  beloved  commonwealth.  So  much  by.  way  of  preliminary  remarks; 
now  for  the  more  practical  objects  which  this  pamphlet  is  designed  to  promote. 

THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 

Contains  nearly  58,000  square  miles  of  territory  and  about  37,000,000  acres,  the 
greater  part  of  which  is  or  can  be  made  productive.  The  amount  of  surface 
occupied  by  hilly  ranges,  undrainable  swamps  and  sandy  plains  is  remarkably 
small  when  compared  with  the  whole. 

Along  the  southeast  border  of  the  State  the  Wabash  river  supplies  an  outlet 
for  numerous  small  streams  and  is  navigable  for  a considerable  distance  from  its 
confluence  with  the  Ohio,  which  forms  the  southern  boundary  and  unites  with 
the  Mississippi  at  Cairo.  This  latter  river  forms  the  west  boundary  of  the  State 
and  along  its  bank  is  found  some  of  the  most  favorably  located  situations  and 
soils  for  orchard  and  vineyard  culture. 

At  one  time  Alton  was  the  most  favored  spot  in  the  West  for  fruit  and 
market  gardening,  and  may  with  truth  be  called  the  first  seat  of  intelligent 
horticultural  effort  in  Illinois,  and  is  to-day  one  of  the  favored  spots,  though 
other  and  newer  lands,  with  better  railway  facilities  excel  it  in  the  quantity 
of  shipments. 

At  Warsaw  and  Hamilton  also  located  on  the  banks  of  the  Father  of  Waters 
are  situated  a large  number  of  prolific  and  profitable  vineyards  as  well  as  great 
apple  orchards.  These  points  are  no  exception  and  are  only  referred  to  because 
the  business  of  fruit  growing,  like  every  other  appears  to  concentrate  itself  around 
certain  points,  not  because  the  soil  is  better,  but  for  the  reason  that  example  is 
contagious  and  when  once  a business  is  established  conveniences  for  shipping  and 
reduction  of  freights  is  sure  to  follow  and  thereby  induce  still  others  to  embark 
in  the  business  in  the  near  vicinity. 

THE  ILLINOIS  RIVER 

Also  intersects  the  State  from  north  to  south  and  is  navigable  from  Alton  to 
Henry  and  with  the  completion  of  the  Chicago  drainage  canal,  steamers  may  run 


APPLE  ORCHARD  IN  UNION  COUNTY. 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


13 


its  entire  length  and  tie  up  beside  the  wharves  in  the  Garden  City.  Along  this 
river  are  thousands  of  bluffs  which  are  unexcelled  for  the  growing  of  fruit  of  all 
kind.  The  peculiar  loess  formation  of  the  soil  in  many  places  also  gives  it  a 
superior  advantage  for  the  growing  of  grain  and  vegetables. 

But  all  the  good  locations  for  orchards  do  not  by  any  means  lie  along  the 
banks  of  these  rivers  or  beside  the  smaller  streams  which  feed  them.  Millions  of 
acres  of  just  as  desirable  land  lie  within  a five-mile  limit  of  railways,  of  which 
Illinois  possesses  more  miles  than  any  other  State. 

Covering  as  it  does  nearly  six  degrees  of  latitude  from  north  to  south,  and 
containing  soils  as  varied  as  the  most  fastidious  can  desire,  there  is  very  little, 
comparatively  of  the  surface  of  Illinois  that  is  not  or  cannot  be  made  productive. 
The  surface  in  all  sections  is  sufficiently  undulating  to  afford  good  drainage,  and 
in  those  sections  where  the  surface  is  more  rolling  but  very  little  of  the  soil  is 
untillable  from  the  presence  of  rocks  or  rocky  ridges.  No  one  can  describe  the 
relief  a man  feels  who  has  been  used  all  his  life  to  pulling  stumps  and  piling 
stones  when  he  first  works  in  Illinois  soil.  The  steel  moldboard  of  his  plow 
inverts  the  soil  without  a break  from  one  end  of  his  farm  to  the  other,  if  he  so 
desires  and  to  a depth  limited  only  by  the  strength  of  his  team. 

GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS. 

While  the  state  is  divided  into  three  districts,  Northern,  Central  and  South- 
ern, the  division  is  more  judicial  than  practical  as  there  are  three  grand  divisions 
in  which  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State  holds  alternate  sessions.  Agricultural^ 
and  Horticulturally  such  divisions  do  not  exist,  for  the  products  of  one  are  almost 
always  grown  in  the  other  districts  with  the  single  restriction  that  nature  has 
placed  upon  all  the  products  of  the  earth,  some  requiring  more  heat  and  sunshine 
to  mature  than  others  and  fixing  the  boundary  beyond  which  there  may  be  no 
profit  found  in  growing  them.  It  is  this  question  of  profit  that  must  guide  us  in 
making  selection  of  a location  for  fruit  growing.  The 

EARLY  SETTLEMENTS. 

of  the  State  were  made  at  the  south  and  north  ends,  those  settlers  who  came  from 
the  South  bringing  with  them  the  customs,  habits,  grains  and  fruits  of  that 
section,  while  those  who  occupied  the  North  brought  New  England  ideas,  grains, 
fruits  and  vegetables.  For  many  years  what  is  now  known  as  the  Central  divis- 
ion of  the  State,  was  comparatively  an  unknown  wilderness  except  along  the 
courses  of  a few  rivers.  The  south  end  of  the  State  produced  in  great  abundance 
a class  of  fruits  whose  varieties  were  entire  strangers  to  people  who  lived  nouth 
and  vice  versa.  At  the  south  there  was  no  demand  for  commercial  fruits  for 
there  were  no  large  cities  and  no  means  of  communication  except  by 
boat  if  there  had  been.  Almost  the  same  condition  existed  in  the  north 
until  the  opening  of  railways  made  Chicago  grow  and  consequently  made 
a market  for  the  surplus  grown  in  that  region.  For  many  years  com' 


14 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


mercial  orchards  and  small  fruit  farms  paid  good  dividends  and  would  to-day 
were  the  same  conditions  present.  The  demands  of  a large  city  for  milk, 
butter,  cheese,  hay  and  vegetables  at  large  prices  caused  the  growing  of  fruit 
to  be  neglected  and  as  the  old  orchards  with  their  many  worthless  varieties 
and  non-bearers  died  out,  new  ones  were  not  planted,  and  many  sections  which 
formerly  produced  abundant  yields  of  apples  are  now  buyers  in  other  markets. 
To  some  extent  also  the  opening  of  railways  in  the  central  and  southern  portions 
of  the  State  and  the  virgin  soils  for  the  first  time  made  available  for  fruit  culture 
caused  many  fruit  growers  to  seek  locations  in  those  sections.  The  earlier  season 
further  south  had  much  to  do  with  this  for  then  as  now  the  first  fruits  always  re- 
turned to  the  grower  the  most  profit.  Land  was  also  cheaper  owing  to  its  remoteness 
from  market,  although  it  produced  crops  of  all  kinds  that  frequently  challenged  be- 
lief. All  that  was  required  was  to  tickle  the  soil  with  the  plow,  plant  a tree  or  vine 
and  the  most  gratifying  results  appeared.  This  change  of  condition  came  about 
in  Northern  Illinois  with  the  year  1865  when  the  close  of  the  war  threw  a 
million  of  men,  most  of  them  young  and  active  into  civil  life  and  caused  a 
demand  for  the  opening  of  new  States  until  then  unthought  of  by  the  most 
enthusiastic. 


^ DIVERSIFIED  CROPS. 

The  effects  of  diversified  industry  and  products  to  which  we  called  the 
attention  of  the  reader  in  the  cases  of  England  and  France  apply  with  equal  force 
to  the  individual  as  well  as  to  the  Nation  or  State.  The  man  who  devotes  his 
whole  farm  to  one  crop,  may  for  a time  be  very  successful  but,  sooner  or  later 
force  of  circumstances,  change  of  climate  or  of  demand  will  compel  him  to  grow 
more  than  the  one  crop.  The  tendency  at  present,  however,  is  toward  and  will  con- 
tinue to  be  toward  specialties,  on  the  farm  as  in  the  factory,  or  among  professional 
men.  The  farmer  who  has  been  brought  up  to  grow  grain  or  stock  finds  no  time 
to  grow  vegetables  or  fruit  but  instead  prefers  to  purchase  them  from  some  one 
who  devotes  his  time  to  their  production.  Small  fruit  growing  is  working  out  of 
the  hands  of  large  producers  to  some  extent,  and  the  planting  of  great  commer- 
cial orchards  will  soon  give  another  direction  to  that  branch  of  the  business.  In 
some  respects  this  is  to  be  regretted,  but  as  diversified  agriculture  will  continue 
to  be  the  rule  in  northern  and  central  Illinois,  no  wide  expanse  of  country  will 
suffer  from  the  loss  of  a crop  of  apples,  as  is  sometimes  the  case  in  other  states 
where  the  diversity  does  not  exist. 

Granted  then  tha.  a diversified  system  of  farming  is  the  most  profitable, 
especially  for  the  man  of  small  means,  and  with  a growing  family,  all  of  whose 
members  can  be  made  useful  in  a great  variety  of  ways  in  the  lesser  operations 
o?  fruit  and  vegetable  growing,  it  becomes  our  duty  to  seek  for  a suitable  place 
to  begin  operations.  The  first  thing  of  all  perhaps  to  select,  is  a healthy  loca- 
tion with  salubrious  climate  and  fertile  soil.  The  first  of  these  is  the  most  essen- 
tial, for  without  health  there  can  be  no  happiness. 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 

THE  GREATEST  DESIDERATUM 


15 


of  all,  however,  is  a suitable  market,  for  of  what  value  is  an  article  for  which 
there  is  no  demand.  Why  locate  even  in  the  Garden  of  Eden,  if  the  crop  of 
apples,  pears  and  other  fruits,  rots  for  want  of  consumers.  The  market  of  all 
markets,  we  who  have  studied  this  subject  for  years  from  a practical  standpoint, 
believe  we  possess  without  a present  or  prospective  rival. 

Geographically  the  State  occupies  nearly  the  central  point  between  the 
Atlantic  coast  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  its  south  end  very  nearly  the  half 
wa}r  point  between  the  Canadian  border  and  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Natural  and 
mechanical  obstacles  prevent  the  production  of  fruit  in  large  quantities  in  some 
of  the  surrounding  States,  and  large  areas  exist  which  must  seek  supplies  else- 
where, and  Illinois  appears  to  the  observer  as  the  most  natural  place  in  which  they 
should  be  sought.  Its  railways  reach  out  in  every  direction,  and  there  is  hardly 
a village  in  the  State  which  might  not  ship  fruit  in  car  lots  to  the  remotest  point 
in  the  Union  without  breaking  bulk. 

For  years  Chicago  has  been,  and  probably  always  will,  remain  the  chief  dis- 
tributing point  in  the  Northwest  for  fruits  of  all  kinds.  All  roads  lead  to  Chi- 
cago, and  will  continue  to  do  so  until  the  requirements  of  business  and  population 
make  a change  necessary,  an  event  yet  far  in  the  distant  future. 

NORTHERN  ILLINOIS 

\ 

is  practically  given  over  to  the  growing  of  crops  which  go  to  feed  the  inhabitants  of 
a large  city  and  a manufacturing  population,  for  it  is  full  of  small  manufacturing 
cities  which  consume  at  good  prices,  the  dairy  products,  the  vegetables,  poultry, 
eggs,  and  small  fruits  of  the  surrounding  farms.  It  is  said  that  the  land  in  this 
section  is  too  valuable  to  devote  to  fruit  growing,  especially  to  apples,  pears, 
cherries  and  plums,  though  there  are  now  in  existence  many  orchards  whose 
owners  derive  a greater  revenue  from  them  than  from  any  other  portion  of  the 
farm,  at  the  same  time  treating  it  with  a neglect  that  would  be  fatal  to  any  other 
crop. 

There  is  no  reason  whatever  why  Northern  Illinois  should  not  become  a com- 
petitor with  the  rest  of  the  State  in  supplying  a portion  of  the  demand  for 
orchard  and  small  fruits,  except  the  general  one  that  once  a community  turns  its 
attention  exclusively  to  one  industry  or  one  branch  of  agriculture,  that  it  is  hard 
to  prevail  upon  its  individual  members  to  engage  in  something  they  admit  may 
be  profitable,  but  with  which  they  are  not  perfectly  familiar. 

All  varietiesof  small  fruit,  such  as  strawberries,  currants,  blackberries,  rasp- 
berries, gooseberries,  etc.,  are  as  much  at  home  in  Northern  Illinois  as  anywhere  in 
the  Union,  while  grapes,  cherries,  plums,  pears  and  apples,  can  be  made  profit- 
able with  the  selection  of  varieties  which  are  prolific  and  hard}\  There  is  hardly 
a village  in  the  whole  section  which,  in  the  time  of  ripening  of  the  local  crop  of 
small  fruits,  has  a sufficient  supply  for  home  use,  while  the  farmer’s  table  that 
has  an  abundance  is  the  exception,  not  the  rule.  This  condition  will  exist  to  the 


16  Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 

end  of  time,  like  original  sin,  and  no  amount  of  preaching  or  of  good  example, 
will  remove  it. 

Northern  Illinois  is  most  favorably  situated  with  regard  to  markets.  Nearly 
every  township  is  within  six  hours  by  express  of  Chicago,  while  the  lumber 
regions  of  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  and  the  wheat  fields  of  the  two  Dakotas, 
are  not  much  farther  removed;  while  several  trunk  lines  traverse  the  whole  sec- 
tion whoso  branches  reach  to  every  part  of  the  Northwest,  West  and  Southwest, 
where  an  almost  unlimited  demand  exists  for  the  products  for  which  the  district 
is  noted,  as  well  as  for  those  which  . t might  supply,  was  once  the  attention  of  its 
farmers  called  to  their  cultivation. 

The  farmers  in  this  section  possess  an  advantage  over  those  in  other  portions 
of  the  State,  for  the  reason  that  their  markets  is  largely  at  their  own  doors,  thus 
doing  away  with  the  cost  of  transportation,  as  well  as  the  commissions  of  the 
middleman.  This  permits  the  marketing  of  fruits  and  vegetables  in  a more 
mature  state  than  when  shipment  by  rail  is  made  to  a distant  point,  which  is  also 
of  value  to  the  purchaser,  who  can  always  be  certain  of  securing  a good  article, 
for  the  man  of  whom  he  buys  is  generally  known  to  him,  and  self  interest  pre- 
vents the  palming  off  upon  customers  of  immature  or  worthless  articles,  an  obser 
vation  which  cannot  always  with  truth  be  made  of  those  who  ship  to  a distant 
city. 

GENTJML  ILLINOIS 

which  includes  all  that  section  of  the  State  known  as  the  “corn  belt,”  and  which 
may  ^e  said  to  begin  near  the  north  line  of  Livingston  County,  extending  as  far 
south  as  Pana,  to  the  marl  soil  which  near  there,  with  few  exceptions,  continues 
southward  for  more  than  a hundred  miles,  until  the  hills  which  extend  across 
the  State  from  East  to  West  are  reached,  is  much  larger  and  possesses  a greater 
variety  of  soil  than  either  of  the  other  sections,  and  a more  extensive  list  of  pro- 
ducts can  be  grown. 

Although  noted  for  its  great  fields  of  corn,  oats  and  wheat,  for  its  immense 
meadows,  and  the  number  of  its  horses,  cattle  and  hogs,  its  production  of  fruit  is 
by  no  means  insignificant  in  value.  Large  orchards  of  apples  ma}7  be  found  in 
every  county  from  the  Indiana  to  the  Iowa  line,  a distance  of  some  two  hundred 
and  forty  miles.  It  is  in  this  section  that  many  of  the  largest  nurseries  for  the 
propagation  of  all  kinds  of  fruit  trees  are  to  be  found,  and  from  the  earliest  set- 
tlement the  quantity  and  quality  of  its  tree  fruits  have  been  admitted.  Any  one 
who  has  attended  -the  annual  State  Fair  during  the  past  thirty-five  years,  must 
have  been  forcibly  struck  with  the  magnitude  and  beauty  of  the  various  exhibits 
from  that  section  as  well  as  by  the  general  excellence  of  individual  varieties;  the 
completeness  of  the  displays  and  the  great  number  of  varieties  of  the  different 
kinds  of  fruit.  Much  of  this  is  due  to  the  local  nurserymen,  many  of  whom  are 
fruit  reisers  as  well  as  tree  growers,  who  seek  to  inculcate  by  example  what  they 
preach  in  theory.  It  may  be  said  with  truth  that  given  an  intelligent  and  con- 
scientious nurseryman  in  a given  locality,  that  the  yield  of  fruit  in  that  vicinity 
will  be  greater,  owing  to  his  example  and  instruction,  than  in  a place  where  such 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


17 


a man  Is  not  located.  We  might  cite  many  cases  to  prove  this,  such  as  Princeton, 
in  Bureau  County;  Bloomington,  in  McLean;  Champaign,  in  Champaign,  and 
Freeport,  in  Stephenson  County,  near  all  of  which  places  large  nurseries  have  in 
former  times  exerted  an  influence,  and  in  some  of  them  yet  work  for  the  increase 
of  that  “art  which  doth  mend  nature!’’ 

This  section  of  the  State,  in  addition  to  producing  a large  yield  of  apples, 
pears,  etc.,  is  admirably  situated  for  the  production  of  sweet  potatoes,  vegeta 
bles,  asparagus,  small  fruits  and  melons,  all  of  which  find  a ready  market  at  no 
great  distance. 

This  division  of  the  State  is  devoted  in  a large  measure  to  grain  and  stock 
raising,  and  in  it  the  farms  are  generally  larger  in  area  than  in  the  other  divisions, 
for  the  reason  that  diversified  farming  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  the  population  being 
more  sparse  and  having  few  manufacturing  towns  to  make  a market  for  the  more 
varied  products  of  the  orchard  and  the  garden.  For  this  reason  more  attention 
is  given  to  those  products  which  the  general  market  demands,  and  which  will 
bear  transporting  a long  distance  to  market  and  not  spoil  in  transit.  It  may  here 
be  said  that  this  very  condition  also  makes  a market  for  many  of  the  products  of 
the  garden,  and  it  is  no  unusual  thing  to  see  a “big”  farmer  purchasing  fruit, 
vegetables  and  melons  in  the  village,  for  the  use  of  his  family,  when  his  own 
senses  as  well  as  interest,  should  teach  him  that  an  abundant  supply  could  be 
grown  much  cheaper  at  home  if  he  would  but  plant  the  trees  and  garden,  and 
devote  a portion  of  the  time  he  spends  in  growing  corn  to  their  cultivation.  The 
market  among  this  class,  while  it  takes  a large  quantity  in  the  aggregate,  is  dif- 
ficult to  reach  by  the  producer  of  fruit,  for  the  reason  that  the  farm  houses  are 
so  far  apart  that  it  is  impossible  to  reach  them  economically.  We  are  not  so  sure, 
however,  that  a wagon  carrying  fruit  and  vegetables  might  not  with  profit  be  run 
in  many  agricultural  communities.  This  is  a condition  not  a theory,  and  we 
make  the  suggestion  for  what  it  is  worth. 

Central  Illinois  is  the  home  of  the  apple  and  pear  and  peaches  may  also  be 
grown  with  profit,  although  there  will  be  an  occasional  failure,  as  there  fre- 
quently is  in  the  most  favored  localities,  notably  in  Delaware,  Michigan  and 
Southern  Illinois,  all  noted  for  their  peaches. 

Small  fruit  maybe  produced  in  such  abundance  as  to  even  astonish  the  fruit 
grower  from  what  are  called  the  favored  spots.  Yields  of  strawberries  of  one 
hundred  bushels  per  acre  are  not  unusual,  while  raspberries,  blackberries  and 
currants,  are  like  productive.  A yield  of  twenty  pounds  of  Concord  grapes  per 
vine  three  years  planted  is  not  unusual,  while  the  quality  is  unexcelled.  May 
or  Richmond  cherry  trees  frequently  yield  two  to  four  bushels  at  eight  years  old, 
and  there  is  always  a market,  it  being  a favorite  fruit  for  canning.  When  can- 
ning establishments  are  common  to  every  neighborhood  as  they  must,  in  time, 
become  the  demand  for  this  fruit  will  be  comparatively  unlimited.  It  supplies 
an  acid  craved  by  the  stomach  at  all  seasons,  and  we  feel  assured  that  a more  free 
use  of  the  sour  cherry  or  of  its  juice,  would  relieve  many  of  the  stomach  troubles 
to  which  humanity  is  now  subject. 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  the  market  for  apples  is  practically  unlimited, 


18 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois . 


many  proprietors  of  large  farms  have  planted  extensive  orchards.  Formerly  the 
planting  of  an  orchard  was  an  experiment,  but  at  the  present  the  varieties  which 
may  be  relied  upon  to  yield  a profit  are  well  known.  No  planter  of  sense  would 
think  of  accepting  as  a gift  such  varieties  as  Baldwin,  Rhode  Island  Greening,  or 
any  of  the  Pippins,  once  famed  in  New  York  and  New  England,  and  he  would 
look  with  suspicion  upon  all  the  tender  skinned  and  often  tender  wooded  varieties 
which  were  the  favorites  of  fruit-growers  forty  or  fifty  years  ago.  Experience 
has  taught  that  only  those  varieties  which  came  early  into  bearing,  which 
produce  a good  yield  under  most  circumstances,  and  with  a hardy-  body  to 
withstand  the  fluctuating  temperature  of  our  changeable  winters,  should  be  given 
a place  in  a commercial  orchard.  Among  the  varieties  found  most  profitable  are 
the  Ben  Davis,  Willow,  Rawles  Janet,  Minkler,  Missouri  Pippin,  Grimes  Golden 
and  Jonathan.  This  list  may  be  extended  to  suit  localities,  but  the  less  number 
of  varieties  in  an  orchard  the  better. 

The  list  of  summer  and  fall  apples  that  are  hardy  and  produce  abundantly  is 
very  extensive,  but  as  the  demand  for  these  is  limited  and  must  be  governed 
largely  by  local  conditions,  we  do  not  deem  it  necessary  to  devote  any  space  to 
their  discussion,  furtner  than  to  say  that  among  the  best  known  and  most  profitable 
are  the  Red  Astracan,  Duchess  of  Oldenburg  and  Maiden’s  Blush.  These  are  all 
hardy  and  withstand  a much  lower  temperature  than  ever  occurs  in  Central 
Illinois. 

Pears  as  yet  may  be  called  a luxury  in  nearly  all  Central  Illinois,  though  why 
it  would  be  hard  to  tell.  The  average  farmer  contents  himself  with  planting  a 
couple  or  at  the  most  half  a dozen  trees,  and  then  turns  them  over  to  the  charity 
of  a drove  of  cattle  or  treats  them  with  neglect.  “Pears  don’t  pay,”  is  the  com- 
mon remark,  and  yet  where  they  are  given  as  much  care  as  apple  trees,  many 
varieties  bear  profusely  and  a most  excellent  quality.  As  in  the  case  of  apples, 
location  must  determine  what  kinds  to  plant. 

While  the  statement  is  true  that  both  Northern  and  Central  Illinois  are  in 
their  entirety  capable  of  producing  unlimited  quantities  of  fruit  and  vegetables, 
the  fact,  nevertheless,  exists  that 

SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

possesses  a soil  and  climate,  which  in  the  estimate  of  practical  men,  make  it  par 
excellence  the  home  of  all  the  fruits  grown  in  its  latitude  anywhere.  Covered 
originally  over  nearly  half  its  area  with  a huge  growth  of  forest  trees  which 
attested  the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  a favorable  climate,  it  was  so  far  removed 
from  market  except  by  steam  or  fiat  boat,  that  its  forests  were  comparatively 
untouched  when  the  other  sections  had  become  well  settled.  The  prairies  of  the 
interior  were  considered  valueless  for  any  practical  purpose,  but  time  has  demon- 
strated that  the  soil  is  admirably  adapted  to  the  production  of  hay,  wheat,  small 
fruit,  and  especially  apples,  large  orchards  of  which  are  to  be  found  along  or  near 
the  railways. 

When  the  Illinois  Central  railway  first  penetrated  the  hills  of  the  Grand 


PEAR  ORCHARD  IN  UNION  COUNTY. 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
URBANA 


21 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois . 

Chain,  and  the  sound  of  the  locomotive  whistle  awoke  the  sleepy  inhabitants  from 
their  lethergy,  and  opened  a market  for  their  products  of  which  they  had  never 
dreamed,  but  few  of  the  natives  realized  the  capabilities  and  opportunities  that 
were  at  their  doors.  Slowly,  one  by  one  buyers  of  fruit  from  Chicago  made  their 
way  to  this  region,  which  in  the  language  of  that  day  was  called  Egypt,  from  the 
fact  that  in  years  of  scarcity  the  residents  further  North  had  gone  there  for  corm 
but  which  term  was  soon  made  to  mean  intellectual  darkness,  from  the  supposed 
obtuseness  of  many  of  the  original  inhabitants  who  resisted  progress  until  it 
pushed  them  aside. 

The  size  and  quality  of  the  peaches  and  the  beauty  of  the  apples  as  well  as 
the  healthy  growth  of  the  few  native  pear  trees  excited  the  wonder  and  curiosity 
of  the  outside  world,  and  soon  attracted;the  attention  of  nurserymen  and  others 
from  the  North,  who  saw  the  opportunity  and  took  advantage  of  it,  so  that  at  the 
present  whole  townships  may  be  said  to  be  given  over  entirely  to  fruit  and  veve- 
table  culture.  ' ° 

To  the  man  used  to  working  a prairie  farm  the  allurements  of  Egypt  with  its 
wooded  hillsides  and  stumpy  fields  were  not  great.  The  labor  of  chopping  off  the 
trees,  rolling  and  burning  them,  for  at  that  time  there  was  little  or  no  demand 
for  either  lumber  or  wood,  formed  an  obstacle  to  %is  mind  not  easily  overcome. 
Yet  one  by  one  the  settlers  came  and  occupied  the  thCh  available  ground. 

Fruit  growing  at  this  time  was  only  in  . . 


ITS  INFANCY, 

and  the  mistakes  were  more  numerous  at  first  than  the  successes.  Varieties 
brought  from  the  North  proved  valueless,  and  years  were  often  devoted  to  the 
culture  of  trees  to  result  only  in  disappointment  when  the  period  of  fruitage 
arrived.  Gradually,  however,  experience  has  brought  wisdom,  and  to-day  the 
intelligent  fruit  or  vegetable  grower  of  Southern  Illinois  plants  with  as  much  con- 
fidence and  gathers  with  as  much  certainty  the  accident  of  season  excepted  as 
though  his  business  was  an  exact  science  and  governed  by  inexorable  rules.  ’ 
Since  the  war  great  mills  have  sprung  up  which  make  a market  for  the  native 
forest  trees,  and  immense  beds  of  coal  are  found  under  almost  this  entire  section 
giving  occupation  to  a large  population,  and  also  creating  a home  demand  for 
fruit.  New  railways  have  also  opened  up  new  fields,  and  practically  there  is  no 
portion  of  Southern  Illinois  that  does  not  possess  an  easy  and  direct  outlet  to 
market. 

THE  SUNNY  SKIES 

of  this  section  remind  one  of  Italy,  which  lies  exactly  in  the  same  degrees  of  lati- 
tude,  and  have  often  caused  it  to  be  called  the  “Italy  of  America.”  Many  fruits 
and  vegetables  grow  only  in  a tropical  clime  here  arrive  at  perfection.  Sweet 

Sher  vefeTw  ^ ^ 6X061  th°Se  Sr°Wn  JerS(>y  in  (iua,ity.  wh»e  the  list  of 
other  vegetables  grown  to  perfection  would  fill  a catalogue.  Nowhere  in  the 

world  are  there  larger  fields  of  strawberries,  and  nowhere  do  they  reach  a higher 


22 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


degree  of  perfection  than  on  the  sun  kissed  hills  and  prairies  of  Southern  Illinois. 
Although  the  extension  of  railways  southward  has  removed  to  a certain  extent, 
the  business  of  supplying  early  fruits  and  vegetables  from  Illinois  to  States  fur- 
ther South,  the  fact  yet  remains  that  for  supplying  the  market  with  great  quan- 
tities of  fruit  and  vegetables  at  prices  which  the  masses  can  afford  to  pay,  South- 
ern Illinois  is  the  main  reliance  of  the  entire  Northwest. 

Berries  gathered  in  the  morning  of  one  day  reach  all  portions  of  Illinois  in 
time  for  the  early  marketing  of  the  next  day,  and  b>  noon  many  of  the  people  in 
cities  of  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and  Michigan,  have  the  berries  on  their  tables  almost 
as  fresh  as  though  just  gathered  from  the  vines.  In.  the  strawberry  season,  the 
Illinois  Central  and  other  railways  run  trains  made  up  exclusively  of  cars  loaded 
with  berries,  which  are  run  on  express  time  in  order  to  reach  market  at  a suitable 
hour.  In  what  other  State  may  a location  be  found  where  a train  of  thirty  or 
more  cars  loaded  with  strawberries,  the  most  perishable  as  well  as  the  queen  of 
fruits,  is  rushed  across  the  country  to  market  at  lightning  speed?  The  same 
thing  is  done  with  early  vegetable  trains,  with  tomatoes,  peaches,  and  later  with 
sweet  potatoes  and  apples. 

We  might  dilate  upon  the  size  and  beauty  of  the  other  fruits  produced  in 
this  section  of  our  State,  but  do  not  think  it  necessary.  Everywhere  the  rasp- 
berry and  the  blackberry  grow  wild  in  the  greatest  profusion,  and  many  of  the 
wild  canes  produce  fruit  which  even  the  cultivated  varieties  do  not  excel,  show- 
ing conclusively  that  nature  designed  this  for  a small  fruit  region.  If  any  one 
questions  our  assertions  let  him  take  a trip  and  visit  any  of  the  noted  fruit  grow- 
ing centers  in  Southern  Illinois,  and  he  will  be  convinced  that  what  we  have 
said  is  the  truth  but  half  told. 

After  all,  that  may  be  said  this  region  is  peculiarly  fitted  for  the 

PRODUCTION  OF  THE  APPLE. 

Here  it  arrives  at  its  greatest  perfection  in  size  and  beauty.  The  elevation  gives 
almost  an  entire  freedom  in  spring  from  damage  by  late  frosts  while  the  season 
being  longer  the  fruit  ripens  and  colors  under  the  rays  of  the  autumn  sun,  giving 
a size  and  a finish  or  color  that  even  the  famous  climate  of  California  cannot 
rival. 

In  this  section  many  varieties  are  grown  for  the  early  market  which  cannot 
be  so  profitably  done  further  north.  Practically  Southern  Illinois  has  the  monop- 
oly of  the  early  apple  trade,  sending  to  all  sections  of  the  Northwest,  and  no 
reason  exists  why  it  should  not  continue  to  do  so  for  all  time  to  come. 

The  orchardist  in  Illinois  is  not  dependent  upon  some  water  company  for 
success.  While  his  trees  are  small,  crops  of  corn,  potatoes,  berries  and  vegetables 
may  be  grown  in  the  same  ground  without  detriment  to  the  trees.  So  soon,  how- 
ever, as  the  trees  begin  to  require  nourishment  for  the  ripening  of  fruit,  all 
intelligent  orchardists  cease  trying  to  grow  two  crops  at  once,  but  instead  feed 
the  tree,  or  should  do  so  to  enable  it  to  maintain  a healthy  condition  by  means  of 
which  it  only  can  continue  to  be  of  value. 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


23 


There  is  here  no  place  for  indulging  in  a panegyric  over  certain  varieties, 
there  are  a few  favorites  for  market  that  are  common  to  all  of  Illinois,  others 
which  suit  one  locality  and  not  the  other,  all  of  which  are  more  or  less  profitable, 
but  whose  value  to  the  planter  must  be  determined  by  the  experience  of  men 
who-have  tried  them  in  the  different  sections  of  the  state.  It  has  however  been 
uniformly  found  that  Ben  Davis,  Wine  Sap  and  Rome  Beauty  are  every  where 
successful  and  that  in  some  localities  other  varieties  are  equal  favorites.  In 
planting  orchards  in  Southern  Illinois  hardiness  of  tree  cuts  no  figure  for  never  in 
the  history  of  the  section  has  there  been  so  low  a temperature  as  to  injure  a tree. 

Much  attention  is  now  being  given  to  the  growth  of  Japanese  plums  and 
persimmons,  and  no  reason  exists  why  the  English  walnut  may  not  be  grown  to 
perfection. 

THIS  SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS 

Also  has  another  advantage  for  it  contains  within  its  borders  abundant  and 
cheap  material  for  the  making  of  barrels,  boxes,  crates  and  baskets  in  which  to 
ship  its  fruit.  This  is  an  important  factor,  for  all  dealers  know  that  fruit  in  new, 
clean  packages  sells  for  a better  price  than  an  equally  good  quality  packed  in 
dirty  or  second  hand  packages. 

The  attention  of  commercial  orchardists  has  of  late  years  been  turned  to  the 
south  half  of  the  State  as  a desirable  point  for  the  planting  of 

LARGE  COMMERCIAL  ORCHARDS. 

And  while  many  of  the  counties  posses  a world  wide  reputation  for  wheat  and 
flour,  much  of  this  land  is  now  or  shortly  will  be  planted  with  apple  orchards. 
The  sums  for  which  crops  of  apples  have  been  sold  in  past  years,  are  almost 
beyond  belief.  Men  have  frequently  sold  one  crop  for  enough  to  pay  for  the  land 
and  all  the  expenses  of  culture,  and  so  confident  are  others  of  reaching  success 
that  the  size  of  their  orchards  is  limited  only  by  their  ability  to  buy  the  land  and 
trees.  When  we  state  that  land  in  these  counties  may  be  had  at  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  dollars  per  acre  we  tell  the  simple  truth  which  can^be  verified  by  a 
visit  to  them. 

ARE  THERE  DRAWBACKS? 

The  reader  doubtless  asks  himself,  why  if  these  statements  are  true  that  the 
field  has  not  been  entered  upon  ere  this?  “There  are  certainly  drawbacks  of 
which  no  one  can  learn  until  dear  experience  has  exposed  them.’’  Such  is  not 
the  case,  although  as  we  have  said  there  are  always  some  disappointments  to  fruit 
growers  as  well  as  to  others. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  with  the  building  of  the  Pacific  railways  and  the 
settling  of  difficulties  with  the  Indians  in  the  then  territories  of  Nebraska, 
Dakota,  Colorado,  etc.,  a great  effort  was  made  by  the  railway  companies  to  in- 
duce people  to  go  west  and  settle.  The  liberal,  but  perhaps  questionable  “Home 
stead  law,”  drew  the  young  men  and  those  with  little  capital  to  the  west,  and  for 


24 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


twenty-five  years  after  the  close  of  the  war  men,  women  and  children  .hurried 
through  the  states  of  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Iowa  to  the  Eldorado  beyond  the 
Missouri,  hoping  to  become  suddenly  well  to  do,  if  not  wealthy.  Now  peojfle  are 
beginning  to  discover  that  the  “boomer”  states  are  inferior  in  many  respects  to 
the  ones  that  were  passed  so  hastily  and  blindly  over,  and  as  a result  more  in- 
quires than  usual  are  being  made  for  lands  in  Illinois.  For  this  class  of  inquirers 
these  pages  are  written. 

THE  KING  OF  FRUIT. 

If  such  a term  may  be  permitted,  is  the  apple.  Growing  as  it  does  to  greater  or 
less  perfection  in  nearly  every  state  of  the  Union,  its  use  is  as  general  as  that  of 
any  other  commodity,  sugar  not  excepted.  One  may  dilate  upon  the  beauty  of 
an  orange  grove;  go  into  ecstacies  of  enthusiasm  over  the  aroma,  color  and  taste 
of  the  fruit,  yet  it  is  but  a luxury  and  always  will  remain  such.  The  man  or 
woman  who  seeks  to  satisfy  the  craving  of  hunger  with  an  orange,  seeks  in  vain 
though  we  readily  admit  that  a sweet  ripe  orange  is  always  grateful  to  the  palate 
and  cooling  to  the  system.  The  growing  of  lemons,  figs  and  dates  may  be  poetic 
but  we  must  remember  tliau  only  a small  section  of  our  area  is  suitable  for  the 
growth  of  citrous  fruits  and  Tiat  the  demand  for  them  does  not  keep  pace  with 
the  production.  We  do  not  say  this  to  discourage  anyone  from  seeking  to  en- 
gage in  the  growing  of  citrous  fruits  if  they  have  a liking  for  it  but  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  there  is  another  side,  other  than  the  rosy  one  so  often  painted 
to  the  home-seeker,  by  men  Avho  have  land  to  sell  or  are  interested  in  some  water 
or  flume  company. 

The  apple,  however  is  a 

STAPLE  ARTICLE  OF  FOOD 

either  raw  or  cooked,  and  as  satisfying  to  the  appetite  as  any  vegetable  produc- 
tion. Whatexcels  for  delicacy  an  apple  cooked  and  eaten  with  sugar  and  cream? 
What  more  satisfying  to  the  appetite  than  bread  and  butter  and  apple  sauce? 
What  pleasure  of  the  imagination  can  for  a moment  hold  its  own  with  the  re- 
collection of  the  apple  pies  that  “mother”  made  when  we  were  boys,  and  which 
often  served  to  reward  us  when  we  were  good,  and  whose  coveted  squares  were 
refused  us  as  a punishment  when  naughty.  Apple  dumplings  is  a dish  familiar 
to  every  American  and  the  term  a household  word.  Who,  knowing  the  many 
methods  by  which  the  apple  is  and  can  be  made  palatable  can  deny  that  it  heads 
the  list  of  fruits  and  is  justly  entitled  to  rank  as  the  monarch  of  all.  It  is  the 
first  fruit  mentioned  in  scripture,  and  though  to  its  first  eating  the  most  ills  to 
which  humanity  is  heir  is  attributed,  still  we  must  think  that  there  is  certainly 
some  mistake  about  this,  considering  the  part  that  the  apple  has  borne  in  the 
economy  of  the  nations  who  inhabit  the  greater  part  of  the  temperate  zone. 

As  this  article  is  not  intended  to  discuss  varieties,  or  when  or  how  to  plant, 
it  would  be  a work  of  superorogation  to  select  a list  of  apples,  and  for  informa- 
tion on  this  subject  we  refer  the  reader  to  the  various  published  lists,  or  better 


PEACH  ORCHARD  IN  UNION  COUNTY. 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


27 


still,  to  a personal  examination  of  localities  where  inquiry  will  at  once  disclose 
which  are  prolific  and  which  failures.  We  do  not  advise  any  one  to  engage  in 
the  business  of  planting  orchards  of  untried  varieties  even  though  they  promise 
well,  the  beaten  track  is  always  safest  though  the  scenery  may  not  be  so 
attractive  as  another  which  promises  a shorter  cut  across  lots. 

Our  attention  so  far  has  been  devoted  to  the  edible  and  market  value  of  the 
apple  in  its  natural  state.  There  is  however  another  condition  in  which  it  finds 
a ready  and  increasing  market,  viz:  as  cider. 

CIDER  MAKING 

as  generally  practiced  is  a wasteful  and  unsatisfactory  process.  A large  share  of 
the  juice  goes  to  waste  in  the  pomace,  which  the  average  press  is  unable  to 
extract.  A large  share  of  the  stuff  sold  as  pure, cider  is  guiltless  of  apple  juice, 
but  is  manufactured  of  ingredients  known  only  to  the  chemist.  If  pure  when  it 
leaves  the  manufacturer  it  soon  becomes  so  diluted  that  it  has  more  kinship  to 
the  pump  than  to  the  cider  press,  and  the  market  for  pure,  sweet  cider  is  in  con- 
sequence less  than  it  should  be.  Of  late  years  many  processes  have  been 
employed  to  keep  it  sweet  from  one  season  to  another,  so  that  those  who  desire 
may  secure  it  fresh  at  all  times. 

Its  greatest  value,  however,  is  not  as  a drink,  but  as  the  foundation  and 

stock  for 

VINEGAR  MAKING. 

Our  legislators  have  not  as  yet  succeeded  in  enacting  a law  to  prevent  the 
imposition  of  unhealthy  acids  upon  an  unsuspecting  public  as  “pure  cider  vin- 
egar,” although  frequently  asked  to  do  so.  Ultimately  we  think  they  will  be 
convinced  that  the  use  of  chemicals  as  vinegar  is  deleterious  to  health,  or,  if  they 
cannot  be  convinced  of  that,  they  may  be  brought  to  see  that  it  is  as  much  an 
imposition  to  sell  a customer  acid  for  cider  vinegar  as  it  is  to  sell  oleomargarine 
for  butter,  and  to  prevent  the  swindle  pass  a law  making  it  a misdemeanor  to  sell 
either  under  a false  name. 

Although  in  general  we  have  not  much  to  learn  from  foreigners,  we  might 
with  profit  adopt  many  of  the  laws  of  Germany  or  England  which  require  a strict 
supervision  of  the  articles  sold  as  food,  to  prevent  the  sale  of  dangerous  or 
unhealthy  articles  and  compounds  for  what  they  are  not.  When  it  is  made  a 
misdemeanor  punishable  with  a fine  for  any  one  to  sell  vinegar  under  the  name  of 

PURE  CIDER  VINEGAR 

which  is  not  genuine,  a reform  in  this  direction  will  follow,  and  a market  for  the 
surplus  fruit  of  our  orchards  will  be  opened  that  will  astonish  the  fruit  growers 
themselves. 

Owing  to  the  competition  of  the  acid  vinegars  sold  under  the  name  of  “cider 
or  apple  vinegar,”  no  great  amount  of  capital  has  been  invested  in  the  business 


28 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illuiois . 


of  making  the  genuine  article,  but  we  are  confident  that  with  the  increase  of  our 
orchards  such  manufactories  will  spring  up.  The  capital  required  need  not  be 
large,  but  the  market  is  assured.  At  present  there  is  little  uniformity  in  the 
pure  article,  for  the  average  orchardist  who  has  but  a few  barrels  of  cider  to  turn 
into  vinegar  has  no  facilities  or  does  not  think  it  worth  while  to  take  the  time  to 
make  his  product  uniform,  hence  one  barrel  is  excellent,  another  is  poor  and  the 
third  of  decidedly  bad  quality.  A manufactory  located  conveniently  to  the 
orchards,  taking  both  the  surplus  cider  and  unmarketable  fruits  and  making  a 
staple  article  of  standard  cider  vinegar  is  certain  to  succeed.  With  this  branch  of 
the  business  fully  developed,  another  source  of  profit  will  be  opened  to  the  small 
producer  of  fruit  as  well  as  to  the  large  one,  for  while  the  latter  may  work  up  all 
his  windfalls  and  fruit  unfit  to  market  on  his  own  premises,  the  small  grower 
can  dispose  of  his  in  bulk  to  the  vinegar  maker. 

CANNING  AND  PRESERVING. 

This  industry  is  yet  in  its  infancy  and  very  few  realize  the  extent  to  which 
it  may  be  developed.  Our  small  fruits  and  many  of  our  vegetables  might  be 
canned  with  profit,  but  capital  will  not  come  in  until  there  is  an  assured  supply 
during  the  entire  season,  for  no  one  article  alone  can  be  made  profitable.  The 
business  is  steadily  growing,  and  in  time  we  hope  to  see  in  every  township  a fac- 
tory which  will  take  the  strawberries  and  other  small  fruits,  the  cherries, 
plums,  peaches  and  pears  and  put  them  on  the  market  in  cans  or  in  glass,  and  then 
when  the  grandest  of  all  fruits,  the  apple,  ripens  take  the  surplus  and  work  it  into 
jelly,  dry  it,  press  it  into  cider  and  turn  that  into  vinegar.  Then  with  a certain 
market  for  all  his  crop  the  orchardist  and  small  fruit  grower  can  be  assured  of 
satisfactory  returns  for  his  surplus  fruit.  There  is  also  a demand  for  fruit 
juices  for  the  compounding  of  many  articles,  and  thousands  of  dollars  worth  of 
cherry,  raspberry  and  other  fruit  juices  are  annually  imported  from  foreign 
countries.  With  a soil  and  climate  much  better  fitted  for  the  production  of 
these  fruits  than  that  whence  the  juices  are  brought,  it  would  seem  a shame  that 
we  send  our  money  abroad  when  it  could  be  just  as  well  employed  at  our  own 
doors. 

In  conclusion  we  desire  to  call  the  attention  of 

BUYERS  AND  EXPORTERS  OF  APPLES 

to  the  Illinois  orchards.  Heretofore  the  business  of  growing  apples  has  been 
mostly  in  the  hands  of  small  producers,  but  that  day  is  passing  away.  There 
are  now  localities  in  abundance  where  a car  load  or  ten  car  loads  of  one  variety 
may  be  had.  Formerly  a few  barrels  of  one  variety  only  were  for  sale;  now  this 
is  changed.  In  a few  years,  when  the  young  orchards  now  just  coming  into 
bearing  have  developed,  there  will  be  no  complaint  that  car  lots  of  one  kind  can- 
not be  had;  in  fact  this  objection  has  even  now  lost  its  force.  The  superior 
quality,  the  beautiful  color  and  the  uniformity  of  Illinois  apples  are  bound  tq 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois. 


29 


make  them  favorites  in  the  markets  of  the  world.  In  fact,  we  can  see  no  more 
profitable  avenue  open  to  the  capitalist  than  to  purchase  Illinois  apples  in  the 
fall,  place  them  in  cold  storage  and  seil  them  out  at  a good  price  in  June  and 
July  of  the  next  year  before  the  advent  of  the  new  crop  in  the  market. 

With  full  faith  that  the  correctness  of  what  we  have  said  about  the  Horti- 
cultural qualities  of  Illinois  is  fully  substantiated  by  the  facts,  we  ask  you  to 
come  and  investigate  for  yourself;  then  if  our  soil,  our  climate  and  our  market 
does  not  suit  you,  we  can  only  wish  you  God  speed  to  some  State  where  the 
roseate  hue  of  the  pictures  painted  of  climate,  of  soil,  of  wealth,  of  health,  form 
an  attraction  hard  to  resist,  and  whose  persistent  telling  has  made  even  the 
relaters  believe  them  to  be  truth. 

FRUIT  CROP  STATISTICS. 

The  system  of  gathering  the  statistics  of  yield  of  the  fruit  grown  is  very 
crude  and  amounts  to  but  little  beyond  guesswork.  The  average  farmer  who  has 
an  orchard  of  a hundred  or  more  trees  does  not  generally  know  how  many 
bushels  of  apples  his  trees  produced,  and  it  is  seldom  that  even  the  commercial 
orchardist  has  complete  figures  of  his  sales  even.  No  account  is  taken  of  the  tens 
of  thousands  of  fruit  trees  in  the  small  cities  and  villages,  and  we  believe  that  we 
speak  within  the  bounds  of  reason  when  we  say  that  not  one-half  the  product  is 
returned  by  the  assessors.  The  statistics  which  we  supply  below  are  those  gath- 
ered from  the  assessors’  reports,  which  we  know  are  by  no  means  complete,  and 
which  give  probably  not  to  exceed  one-half  the  value  of  the  fruit  sold.  We 
do  not  therefore  submit  them  with  a view  of  showing  the  immensity  of  the  fruit 
yield  in  the  State,  but  to  call  attention  to  what  basis  we  have  for  the  statements 
made  in  the  preceding  pages.  The  reader  will  observe  that  there  is  nothing  said 
of  the  yield  of  raspberry,  blackberry,  currant,  gooseberry,  plum,  cherry,  quince, 
apricot  or  persimmon,  which  taken  together  must  have  equalled  in  value  that 
given  for  strawberries.  It  may  also  be  wise  to  note  that  taking  the  State  over 
the  crop  of  fruit  grown  in  1892  was  far  below  an  average  one;  in  fact,  apples, 
peaches  and  pears  did  not  yield  half  an  average. 


30 


Fruit  Growing  in  Illinois . 


Table  showing  the  returns  of  fruit  for  the  year  1891  and  1892,  together  with 
the  value  for  both  years. 

NORTHERN  ILLINOIS. 

1891.  Value.  1892.  Value. 

Apples,  bushels 1,232,132  $1,626,414  166,626  $221,231 

Peaches,  “ 13,494  26,950  6,134  12,558 

Grapes,  pounds 742,378  29,640  486,710  19,145 

Wine,  gallons  43,750  42,890  27,858  27,106 

Strawberries,  value 27,106  20,405 

$1,753,000  $300,445 


CENTRAL  ILLINOIS. 


Apples,  bushels 

712,639 

$812,408 

145,877 

$167,395 

Peaches,  “ 

55,410 

88,096 

22,051 

35,124 

Pears,  “ 

1,695 

2,949 

757 

1,318 

Grapes,  pounds 

888,061 

29,395 

654,156 

21,699 

Wine,  gallons 

42,248 

30,418 

21,406 

15,534 

Strawberries,  value 

19,491 

13,699 

$982,757 

$254,769 

SOUTHERN  ILLINOIS. 

Apples,  bushels 

1,034,708 

$910,543 

258,329 

$225,845 

Peaches,  “ 

263,431 

355,631 

167,295 

152,390 

Pears,  “ 

18,932 

8,084 

9,173 

Grapes,  pounds 

288,800 

8,981 

177,758 

5,535 

Wine,  gallons 

19,755 

17,779 

14,465 

13,947 

Strawberries,  value 

138,299 

132,075 

$1,450,165 

* 

$538,965 

Total  value  in  entire  state,  1891 $4,185,922 

“ “ “ “ “ 1892 1,094,179 

Estimated  value  other  small  fruits,  1891 232,000 

“ “ “ “ “ 1892 198,745 


[LLINOI 


